Lesson Learned
by whowhatsitwhich
Summary: "Well, I could tell you," she paused and lifted her brows suggestively. "Or I could show you. Your choice." Carol has something to teach and Daryl is an eager pupil.
1. Chapter 1

"i'm not saying you're wrong. I'm just saying the three are different. It's not all tab A goes in slot B."

Daryl offered up his usual derisive snort but there was a flicker of interest in those blue eyes. He was curious. She definitely had his attention. The question now was what to do with it. To her surprise, he asked her straight out. "Explain it to me then. What's the difference?"

"You really want to know," she chuckled, enjoying the heady sense of power teasing him always seemed to give her.

He huffed in annoyance. "Dammit, didn't I just ask you?"

"Well, I could tell you," she paused and lifted her brows suggestively. "Or I could show you. Your choice."

He looked stunned, dumbfounded as he stared at her all red-faced and hot eyed. "Let me see if I heard this right. You could tell me the difference between fucking, having sex and making love or you could show me. Is that what you just said."

"Nothing wrong with your hearing," Carol observed wryly, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "Do you need time to think about it?"

"Hell no," he retorted as he grabbed her hand and took off at a fast walk toward the guard tower. Carol grinned as she fell in step behind him, thinking how ironic it was that Glenn and Maggie were getting relieved from watch early for a change.

Lesson 1: Do One, Teach One, Kill One

The fire seemed to leave him just as quickly as it had come once they were in the guard tower. He dropped her hand, turned to the window, and stood looking out over the field, his knuckles white as they clutched the sill.

Carol stepped up beside him, watching him out of the corner of her eye. When he flicked a glance in her direction, she smiled. "Hey sugar, you looking for a date?" She quipped teasingly. As she'd hoped, a quiet chuff of laughter escaped him.

"This gonna be some fucked up version of Hollywood Squares or something?"

"Or something," she agreed, letting her fingers glide over his bare arm. Keeping her eyes fixed on his, she curved her other hand around his neck and drew him closer. Consciously avoiding his mouth, she buried her face in the crook of his shoulder, her lips grazing the sensitive skin of his throat.

He swallowed , his Adam's apple bobbing with the movement, as his head tipped ever so slightly. Carol made the most of it, nipping and kissing and licking by turns. His low groans spurred her own, made her linger over a fluttering pulse point, a sweet spot beneath his ear, a sensitive span at his nape that brought on a wave of goose flesh.

She pulled back to pop the buttons of his shirt, pushing the front panels aside as her hands wandered. He bent as if to kiss her but she adroitly avoided him. "None of that," she muttered. "Not yet anyway." Ignoring his sudden scowl, she eased him out of his shirt and then doffed her own.

He forgot to be angry as her curves were revealed to him, letting his eyes take in every freckle, every curve. His hands lifted of their own accord, palming her breasts and lingering on her nipples. They tightened to taut buds as he alternatively rolled them and then pinched them between thumb and forefinger. Her back arched as she pressed herself into him, reveling in his touch. He bent to kiss her but, once again, she turned aside.

"What are you playing at?" He demanded harshly.

"Not playing. Teaching," she corrected, running her fingers lightly along the waistband of his jeans. The button popped free and the zipper quickly followed as her fingers found him, already thick and ready. She met his questioning look, smirked as his eyes widened when she licked her palm before grasping him firmly. His hips bucked, a low groan escaping him. "I could be anyone, couldn't I? Some faceless girl in a bar, your next door neighbor, the girl in the porno that you used to jack off to before going to sleep. It doesn't matter, does it? Not as long as it feels good and the mood holds out."

Her hand moved in a gentle rhythm, a thumb running over the tip on the upstroke and then tightening on the way down. His eyes slid shut, hips rocking in time with her movements. She heard his breath catch as she stepped closer, her mouth hot on his throat as her hand continued to pump him steadily. "God dammit," he mouthed breathlessly. "That. Just like that."

He froze, his free hand curling around hers, as his hips jerked once, twice, and then he quaked as his climax burned through him. Daryl slumped boneless and sated in her arms, panting harshly as he looked at her with wondering eyes.

"That was lesson one," she informed him impishly. "Whenever you're ready, we'll start the next one."

Part 2: one to go

A week had passed since their tryst in the guard tower. It was hard to say whose cheeks flared hotter when their paths crossed. Carol had no idea what had come over her that day. It went beyond teasing and straight to unbridled insanity. She didn't know where that brazen woman had come from, nor could she forget the way he looked as he fell moment played over and over in her mind; making her blood froth in her veins as she wondered how it would feel to see that look while he moved inside her.

Time grew as taut as his bow string, the minutes humming like a current as they slid one into the other. Waiting. Watching. . It lifted the hairs on the back of her neck, lingered on the horizon, and she didn't know how much longer she could take it without shattering into a million pieces.

The proposed run to the Big Spot was taken up at the next council meeting. Every possible outcome was dissected and discussed in minute detail. Daryl's attention was fixed on Sasha as she discussed their preparations but Carol's was fixed on him. Nothing ever went according to plan on these runs. They could get cut off, ambushed, caught in a herd. Her thoughts chased themselves in a circle until they ran out of steam, and only one remained. If it was going to happen, it had to be now.

When the meeting broke up, she laid her hand on his arm and gestured for him to follow. She didn't consider that he wouldn't; instead, she headed deeper into the prison, away from the cell blocks. The small storage room had been used to store linens once upon a time. These days, it was one of the few places couples could go. His footsteps faltered as he took in where they were. She looked over her shoulder, asking without words if he wanted this, wanted her. Her heart skipped a beat when he opened the door and gestured for her to go inside. The latch thundered in the stillness between them as he pulled the door closed.

"Ain't nothing gonna happen," he said without preamble.

"I know," she answered softly, blue eyes steady on his face.

"Then why?"

His question sent a shiver right to her toes. Why? She didn't know the answer. She just knew it had to happen. God help her but she felt it in her bones. She stepped closed, arms lifting to twine around his neck and pull his head down to hers. Their mouths met, tongues flicking and feinting in lightning swift probes. Her breath gusted through parted lips as his moved down the arching column of her throat as her head canted back to give him room.

A low-voiced murmur escaped him as he lingered on her pulse point and nipped roughly at the soft skin he found there. His hand found her buttons and undone them, snapping the ones that didn't give way soon enough. She chuckled breathlessly as the cloth parted and fell at feet in pieces. Her fingers tangled in faded flannel, deftly unfastening his buttons and sliding the shirt neatly down his arms.

"Sorry," he said gruffly.

"Don't be," she returned just as quietly. "I liked it."

A brow quirked upward, a smile tugging at the edges of his mouth. "What else do ya like?"

She grinned and then slid gracefully out of her pants, toeing off her boots and setting them aside. "I remembered a promise I'd made and intend to keep. Figured this was as good a time as any."

His eyes drifted over her form, taking note of the proud tilt of her chin and the way she stood tall and straight before him, hiding nothing. His eyes never left hers as he unlaced his boots and kicked them aside, the remainder of his clothes soon to follow. "Ain't got all day, Somebody's gonna get curious and come looking."

Her back hit the wall as he closed the distance between them, his mouth moving hotly on the tender flesh beneath her ear. She moaned her approval, letting her hands wander over his shoulders and down his arms. She consciously avoided the worst of his scars, knowing that to touch them would bring them to mind, and the last thing she wanted was for him to be distracted.

His hand hooked under her knee, pulling one leg up to drape over his hip as he paused to find her hooded gaze. Their gazes locked as he slid ever so slowly inside. "Ah yes," she panted. "God yes, right there."

He slammed into her then, one hand on the back of her head while the other cupped her knee and lifted it higher. Her arms found their way around his neck, peppering his cheek and chin with kisses as they moved together.

Heat coiled low, wound tight, and throbbed in the place where they were joined. Their mouths met roughly, all clacking teeth and dueling tongues. Her fingers fisted in his hair, tugging almost cruelly as the first waves of pleasure crested. He pressed her more firmly against the wall, taking her weight as she coiled both legs around his hips. "Fuck," he growled as he felt her clench around him. "So good. So damned good."

His fingers bit into her skin, hard enough to bruise as he let go, spilling himself inside her. Her answering gasp was swallowed up by a kiss as their mouths found each other. Then she fell. Sparks flared behind her closed lids, breathing forgotten as her climax raced through her. He collapsed against her, penning her between him and the wall as he caught his breath.

Carol closed her eyes, threading her fingers through his tangled hair as she savored their closeness before unwinding her legs and letting her feet find the floor. They reluctantly parted and dressed, sneaking stealthy glances at the other. She huffed out a laugh at remnants of her shirt, tucking the cloth around her and securing it with a couple of knots until she could get changed.

"It's gonna be alright," his voice was hesitant but firm, making her shake her head again as she realized he'd seen straight through her.

"It better be," she returned fiercely. "We still have one to go."


	2. Just Breathe

Carol couldn't remember a time when she'd been more tired. The last three hours had been spent at the fences clearing a herd that materialized seemingly from nowhere. Muscles protested heartily as she unbuttoned her shirt and shrugged it off. She dipped a rag in a bucket of tepid water, rung it out and then lifted it to her face. The first touch on her fevered brow felt like Heaven, or as close as one was likely to get. She doused the cloth again and ran it slowly down her neck and along the delicate bones of her shoulders. Her shoulders twinged, showing their displeasure at the movement.

Fingers….rough and calloused…but oh so gentle as they took it from her. He took up a spot behind her, letting her lean against him as he washed her with slow thorough strokes. "You're tired," his husky voice ruffled the wispy hairs curling over her ears. "You ain't going back out until you get some sleep. Did you eat before you came up here?"

"That's my line," she protested sleepily as she let her head loll on his shoulder. ""Somebody has to oversee the supper preparations." Her breath hitched as his hands dipped lower, over her pink tipped breast and across the flat plain of her stomach. He traced a wavering line along the top of her jeans, sousing the rag until it was sopping so that icy rivulets made rivers on her pale skin.

"Somebody else will have to do it," he informed her as he shifted to allow a slightly longer reach. Water pooled in her belly button and overflowed, soaking the material of her pants."Not you." He tossed the rag aside, undid the clasp and then eased them off her hips. "You're gonna rest and that's all there is to it."

Carol grinned but didn't open her eyes as he undressed her. Despite his bossy tone, he was tender as he stripped her bare before retrieving the bucket and cloth. The water was colder now than it had been, pebbling her flesh with every pass. He overlooked no part of her…the long length of her back, the smooth curve of her hip, the thin skin behind her knees. "Daryl," his name fell from her lips as the lowest of whispers.

"Don't argue," he grumbled, picking up a length of toweling and letting his hands follow their previous path. "I already told Maggie and Beth it was on them tonight. You ain't got nowhere to be so give over."

"Only if you stay too," Even dead on her feet, she couldn't help but tease him. The lopsided smile she received in return made her heart skip a beat.

"Figured as much. Told Rick where I'd be if needed."

Carol's laugh was muffled. "So it's all settled then and now you've got me right where you want me." Again, the teasing. And again, his cheeks flushed a glorious shade of crimson. "Thank you." Her hand covered his and drew him close. "Thank you for taking such good care of me."

Their lips met…softly, warmly, slowly….as they teased and tasted by turns. Her hands made short work of divesting him of his clothes, hovering over the buttons of his shirt until he nodded. When he was as bare as she was, she pressed herself against him, shivering at the contrast of his warm flesh against her own cool limbs.

His mouth left hers to wander a meandering path over her throat, lingering on the pulse point he found there, before ascending her breast to tease her nipples to taut buds. There, he stayed…licking and sucking and nipping by turns. Her low moans were bookended by sighs as his hands slid between her thighs, cupping the warmth he found there.

"Love me," she whispered, peppering his cheeks and chin with the tiniest of kisses. He didn't answer; instead, he picked her up and placed her on the bunk against the back wall. "Love me, Daryl, like I love you."

He delicately parted her thighs and settled between them, resting his weight on his elbows as he looked at her. Lowering his head, he covered her mouth with his. The kiss was quiet, their mouths fitting together like two pieces of a puzzle. His tongue probed the seam of her lips, darting inside before retreating and inviting hers to follow. He then fused them together, burying his face in her neck as her heat enfolded him.

His hips swiveled, drawing a gasp from her as he pulled out almost to the tip before sliding back in. Her legs lifted and ribboned around him, mirroring his every move. Breath caught on a gasp then slipped out in low-voiced moans. Heat kindled low, coiled tight, and built with every move. Their lips met, melded, lingered. Her name sounded like a prayer as he breathed it into the sweat dampened hollow of her throat. The wave mounted….paused…trembled….and then crested, pulling them both over the edge. And the world…just…stopped. It took a step back. The only real thing was the feel of her hands tracing looping lines on his back and the warm eddy of his breath on the sensitive skin of her neck.

"I do," he murmured softly after a minute.

She didn't have to ask what he meant. She knew. It was there in the way he touched her, the way he looked at her, the husky note in his voice when he said her name. She smiled to herself, tightened her arms around him to hold him close and then answered, "So do I."


End file.
